This fan was discovered in a bundle together with other fans beneath the bed no. 377 in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The fan measures 104 cm in height. It is made of wood and covered with a thick sheet of gold. The knob at the end of the handle is made of bronze and inlaid with gold. The knob is ornamented in inlaid gold in the form of a papyrus umbel in bloom. The palm of the staff is designed as two panels supported by papyrus umbels, the calyx of which is engraved into the gold surface. On each side of the palm appear the cartouches bearing the names of Akhenaten and the Aten. It is therefore possible that the fan originally belonged to Tutankhamun’s father, Akhenaten, assuming this parentage, and that it was placed in the tomb as a commemorative object. Objects bearing the names of other family members are not uncommon in the burial assemblage of Tutankhamun. A few fragments of ostrich feathers were found adhering to the palm of the staff, the remainder had unfortunately decayed. 18th Dynasty Ca. 1333-1323 BC Grand Egyptian Museum.

112 pharaonic statues spanning 3,500 years of Ancient Egyptian history. From the Second Dynasty to Roman Egypt. Regardless of the period in Ancient Egyptian history, the statue is always easily identifiable as Egyptian. The Second Dynasty begins at the top left and ends with Roman Egypt at the bottom right.

Hand Gestures

Countdown has started for launch. The launch control team recently arrived at their stations and the official countdown for the launch of the Artemis II mission began at 4:44 p.m. EDT (2044 UTC). Teams will begin methodically going through the launch countdown checklist to prepare for the liftoff of the crewed lunar mission currently scheduled for no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT (2224 UTC). The forecast shows an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions. Image description: NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Monday, March 30, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The orange core stage of the rocket stands between two white solid rocket boosters and is topped with the white Orion spacecraft. The rocket stands in front of the trussed structure of the mobile launcher. The sky is blue and cloudless in the background. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Inside the Zapotec Civilization The discovery of a remarkably well-preserved Zapotec tomb in Oaxaca marks a pivotal moment in the study of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations. Dating to approximately 600 CE, this tomb emerges from a period when the Zapotec culture one of the earliest complex societies in the Americas was thriving in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca. More than an isolated archaeological find, the tomb represents a rare and nearly intact narrative of Zapotec life, death, and worldview. What distinguishes this discovery is its extraordinary level of preservation. Many tombs across Mesoamerica have been damaged by time or looting, leaving archaeologists to reconstruct history from fragments. In contrast, this burial chamber offers a complete ceremonial space, including murals, carvings, and symbolic architectural features. These elements allow researchers to move beyond speculation and engage directly with the visual and spatial language of Zapotec ritual. Central to the tomb’s significance is its iconography. The presence of a large owl motif often depicted with a human face points to a complex symbolic system in which death was not an end, but a transition into another realm. In Zapotec cosmology, the owl was closely associated with the night and the underworld, suggesting that the individual interred in the tomb held a powerful position as an intermediary between worlds.